Game apparatus.



A. B. HILL.

GAME APPAEATUS.

APPLIGATION Hum Nov. ao, 1909.-

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U TED STATES ATENT OFFICE.

GAME APPARATUS.

To all whom it may concem:

Be it known that I, ALEXANDER B. HILL, a citizen of the United States, residing at the city of Hoboken, Hudson county, in the State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Game Apparatus, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact specification.

This invention relates to a game apparatus, and has for its main object the provision of a container or receptacle, wherein is held a body of liquid adapted to fioat a suitable object to, and through an opening in a device submerged in the liquid, when the container or receptacle is skilfully manipulated.

A further object is to arrange and maintain said device in upright position and centrally in the container or receptacle, so that said device coincides with the Vertical axis of said container.

A further object is to provide a plurality of distinctive floats or fioat-ing objects, so that the interest of the manipulator may be created and held by his efforts to cause certain of said fioats to pass first through the entrance openings in the submerged device.

A further object of the invention is to provide a game apparatus which is amusing, which enables a person to exercise skill and patience in the manipulation thereof, and which will be comparatively cheap and inexpensive to manufacture.

These being among the objects of the invention, the same consists in certain features of construction to be hereinafter clescribed and then pointed out in the claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings showing a desirable form of the invention, and in which- F igure 1 is a perspective view of the game apparatus in normal position for use; Fig. 2 is a central Vertical section thereof; Fig. 3 is a horizontal section on the line 3-8, Fig. 2, and Fig. 4: is a`perspective view of the device in inverted position, after the proper manipulation thereof.

Referring to the drawings, 10 designates a container or receptacle which is preferably composed entirely of glass or other Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed November 30, 1909.

Patentea Apr. 25, 1911.

Serial No. 530,543. I

suitable transparent material, so that a person may see into the interior of the receptacle. The said receptacle may be of any suitable Shape, preferably, substantially cylindrical, or it may be of frusto-conical Shape, as shown, so that it will be longer in one direction than in the other. The receptacle is provided with a supporting end 11, and its upper end may be closed or suitably sealed by means of a cover 12, which has a rim 13 to fit around the upper end of the receptacle. The cover 12 may receive a label or directions for use, or the directions may be lithographed or otherwise marked directly upon the cover. I

Suitably supported within the receptacle 10, preferably in central position therein so as to coincide with the Vertical aXis of the receptacle, is a tubular or other properly shaped hollow member 111, which may be composed of a metal tube which is secured at its upper end to the underside of the cover 12 by solder or other suitable securing means. The upper end of said tubular member is provided w'ith diametrically opposite ent-rance openings 15, 16, preferably located in close proXimity to the cover 12. The lower end of the said tubular member 14 is provided with a head or disk 143, having an outlet opening or aperture 17. The head or disk is preferably of a diameter greater than the diameter of the tubular member to provide an annular fiange 18 constituting a baflle for said float-v ing bodies.

The receptacle 10 is adapted to contain a body of liquid 19, usually water, the upper level of Which should normally pass through the diametrically opposite entrance openings 15, 16, so that said tubular member 14 will also be filled with liquid. Since the maintenance of the proper height of the liquid in the receptacle is desirable, the receptacle may be sealed against the entrance of the outer air, in order that the liquid may not evaporate. It is obvious, however, that the device may be so constructed that additional liquid may be poured into the receptacle to maintain the body of liquid at proper height The said receptacle 10 also contains a plurality of movable objects or bodies 20, 21, which are of less specific gravity than the liquid, so that they will fioat upon the liquid. These fioating objects 20, 21 may be of any suitable shape and composed of any suitable' material which will fioat, and are of distinctive appearance. In the present instance, they are shown as differentiated in color only. The number of said fioating objects may be varied as desired, but preferably two objects are employed. The size of each floating object should be such that it can be passed through either of the openings 15, 16, and through the opening 17.

The described apparatus is used as follows: The aim is to pass one of the movable objects through one of the entrance openings 15, 16, and into the tubular member 14, after which the apparatus is inverted so that the object played through said opening may rise, in the liquid, within said tubular member 14, and appear in the opening 17 thereof. The apparatus is held in the position shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and the operator endeavors to float either one of the movable objects selected through one of the openings 15, 16, so that said object will not at the same time pass diametrically across the tubular member 14, and out of the opposite opening. As soon as the movable object has been fioated into the tubular member, the apparatus is skilfully inverted to the position shown in Fig. 4, so that the said movable object will float up within said tubular member to the head 14a. It will then be a comparatively easy matter to cause the movable object to rise into the opening 17 and be held in place therein, owing to the fact that the level of the liquid, when the device is inverted will just about be even with the surface of the head 14a. It will be found a somewhat diflicult feat to accomplish the int'roduction of one of the movable objects into the tubular member, because of the unstablenessof the liquid, and hence of the movable objects fioating thereon, as the tubular member serVes as interfering means which hinders the guidance of one of the movable objects through one of the top or entrance openings 15, 16. When a movable object passes through one of the entrance openings, it may be trapped in the tubular member 14, if the apparatus is properly manipulated. Said tubular member not only serves as means for interfering with the proper manipulation of the movable objects through either of the entrance openin'gs, but also constitutes a trap therefor. In 'playing with the apparatus, considerable interest will be created if the movable object most favorably located with reference to one of the entrance openings 15, 16, is ayed through that opening, so that when t e apparatus is nverted, the so-played obj ect will rise to the surface of the liquid and be seen within the outlet opening 17, and the movable object so appearing will be the winner. The movable or fioating objects may be of any suitable form or shapc, but are preferably ellipsoidal in form, so that when one is played into the tubular member or trap, it will not pass into the opening 17 until the skilful manipulation of the container causes it to do so.

I-Iaving thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A game apparatus, comprising a receptacle containing a body of liquid, a fioating object, and a tubular trap for said object, supported in Vertical position in said receptacle, said trap having a trapping opening in its upper end.

2. A game apparatus, comprising a receptacle containing a body of liquid, a fioating object, and a tubular trap for said object, supported in Vertical position in sald receptacle, said trap having a trapping opening in its upper end, and an exit opening in its lower end.

3. A game apparatus comprising a receptacle adapted to contain a body of liquid, an object adapted to float thereon, and a tubular' trap arranged longitudinally within said receptacle and free from the sides thereof, and secured at one end to said receptacle, and provided with inlet and outlet openings for said object.

4. A game apparatus, comprising a receptacle adapted to contain a body of liquid, and means for interfering with an object which is adapted to fioat on said liquid, said means consisting of a trap depending from the top of said receptacle and havingan opening to permit the passage of said object through it.

5. A game apparatus, comprising a receptacle adapted to contain a body of liquid, and means for interfering with an object which is adapted to float on said liquid, said means consisting of a trap depending from the top of said receptacle and having an opening in each end to permit the passage of said object through it.

6. A game apparatus, comprising an elongated closed transparent receptacle adapted to be supported on either end, a trap supported in Vertical position therein and having an opening in its upper and lower ends, a body of liquid in said receptacle, and a floating object adapted to be caught in said trap.

7. A game apparatus, comprising a substantially cylinclrical receptacle, open at one end, adapted to contain liquid, a plurality of bodies adapted to float thereon, a closure for said receptacle adapted to seal said open end, a tubular member secured at one end centrally to the underside of said closure and provided at said end with oppostely i fourth day of November nineteen hundred located openings, and a head of greater i and nine.

diameter than said tubular member secured at the other end thereof and provided with ALEXANDER B' HILL' 5 a central aperture. fi Witnesses:

Signed at the city of New York, in the CONRAD A. DIETERIOH, county and State of New York, the twenty- ANNIE I. PARsoNs.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Gommssioner of Patents. Washington, D. 0. 

